Many maritime vessels such as barges that are used to transport oil and other water immiscible hydrocarbons are provided with spill rails to contain any oil that might be accidentally spilled on the barge deck during loading or unloading operations thereby preventing the undesirable discharge of the oil into the environment. While these spill rails are effective for their intended purpose, they can also result in the accumulation of water on the deck during periods of heavy rainfall. This accumulated water needs to be discharged overboard, and even though any prior spills may have been cleaned the accumulated water can contain anything from patches of water immiscible hydrocarbons floating on the surface of the water up to a thin layer covering substantially the entire surface area of the accumulated water.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for barges with spill rails which is effective in separating water from water immiscible hydrocarbons. Another object is to effect such separations without any substantial holdup of the water. Another object is to provide such an apparatus at minimal expense.
These and other objectives will become apparent from a reading of the appended description.